Sundance review: Kevin Smith's 'Red State' fails onscreen and off at its world premiere

PARK CITY - If nothing else, it was worth attending tonight's 6:30 premiere of "Red State" at Sundance so that when I speak of tonight in the future, which will only be under duress, I can do so with authority.

Let me quote a tweet from earlier today, when @ThatKevinSmith was talking about tonight's screening. For months now, he's been calling his shot a la Babe Ruth, talking about how he would auction off the rights to distribute "Red State" from the stage of the Eccles auditorium. And let's be clear… this is not a case of me distorting his words or misrepresenting him, as he is so fond of claiming people do with him. Here's what he said today, less than 12 hours ago:

"We've heard a few sight-unseen pre-emptive bids. THIS MOVIE HAS NOT ALREADY BEEN SOLD. After the screening, THEN we'll pick the distributor."

We'll get into that after I review the film, which is actually not that difficult, since the film is almost unbelievably straightforward. I think he's mistaken about the genre, since I wouldn't call what he made "a horror film," but let's grant him that much. It's a horror movie. Fine. The set-up of the film seems to follow a familiar model, and at the same time, allows Smith to lampoon one of his favorite recent targets, the Phelps family.

I certainly have no love for Fred Phelps or his tactics. The first time I saw a photo of one of their protests outside the funeral of a dead gay teenager, it turned my stomach. They are despicable in the way they pervert a message of love and inclusion into a creed of hate and homophobia, but after a while, I realized that the only energy they have is the energy others give to them. There will come a point where Fred Phelps, like all human beings, is dead and gone, and he will take his poisoned philosophy with him, and the rest of the world will go on spinning just like it did before he existed. His entire life is dedicated to this noxious work, and in my opinion, that seems like punishment enough. Fred Phelps doesn't have to worry about going to Hell when he dies, because he's worked plenty hard to create a personal Hell for himself on Earth. And while there's a specific reference to the Phelps family in the script so that Smith won't get sued, you would have to be stupid to mistake his intentions.

Turning Phelps and his family of hyper-fundamental simpletons into the bad guys of this film gives them power they don't truly possess, and much of the film is simply a vehicle for Smith to allow Abin Cooper, his Fred Phelps-alike character played by Michael Parks, to rant. And rant. And rant. If I genuinely wanted to attend a service of the Westboro Baptist Church, I'm fairly sure I could have put together my own transportation and done so. Simply throwing a few unlikeable characters into the background to get shot by the bad guys doesn't justify sitting through these interminable sequences of Parks in full rant. I don't need to sit through this hyperbolic hatred to know it exists.

Three guys, played by Nicholas Braun, Kyle Gallner, and Michael Angarano, decide to answer an ad on an adult website from a woman who claims she wants to have sex with three guys at the same time. When they arrive at the home of the woman, Sarah (Melissa Leo), they are drugged and pass out. When they wake up, they've been taken to the Five Points compound, the home of Cooper and his family, and they watch him execute a gay guy tied to a cross. I would use a character name, but he doesn't seem to have one, and it doesn't matter. He's a device. He's not a person. He's just "the gay guy," there so Michael Parks and his followers have someone to kill first. It's an ugly scene, and the violence is played realistically. There is nothing about "Red State" designed to thrill, and for that, I will give Smith credit. He does not seem to want you to enjoy any of the violence in the movie, something many filmmakers have been guilty of even when they think they're making a movie about moral issues. It's all handled very matter-of-factly, and it's sudden and brutal when people die.

The thing is, I don't care. The three guys are all played as loathsome little toads, and they're on their way to an internet-organized gangbang. Do they deserve anything that happens to them? Nope. Am I invested in any character onscreen? Nope. Smith doesn't even seem to try. The exposition in the film is completely perfunctory, a few quick scenes, and then it's "violence, rant, rant, rant, violence, rant, rant."

As much as the Westboro Baptist Church is a target here, so is the idea of armed government response. There is a cynicism to "Red State" that says quite a bit to me about the writer/director behind it, and I don't need to listen to a podcast or interview him to read that loud and clear. John Goodman plays an ATF agent who responds to a distress call, and when he and his men show up at the Five Points compound, the Cooper family opens fire on them. Happily. And then the rest of the movie is a siege piece, as Goodman's character is ordered to kill everyone and leave no witnesses, with the Coopers welcoming it, sure they're on their way to Jesus.

I am sure I'll hear people defend the script, talking about it as "bold" and "original" and how it takes risks and twists and turns. I disagree. I disagree completely. And for once, I am in a position to respond to the most immature reaction to criticism, because if someone says to me, "Well, if you think you can do it better, you should."

Ahem. I think I did. Make a film, that is. I wouldn't call mine better, per se. Humbly submitted, I will be happy to tell you every single thing I think is wrong with my "Masters Of Horror" episode "Pro-Life," directed by John Carpenter, and it's not a small list. But I will also tell you that we deal with very similar material, we did it in 2006, we did it for 1/4 of the money Smith spent, we had Ron Perlman who was amazing in the film, and I didn't spend a year of my life bent in half like a carnival freak blowing myself in public in the lead-up to the release of the episode. So that removes that old qualifier that filmmakers love to throw at critics, because I know that it's hard to pull off material like this.

In a way, Smith's anti-critic anti-press stance in public that he's adopted since the release of "Cop-Out" is brilliant, because now, all he has to do is tell his devoted SMODcult that critics are "bitter" or that we're "haters," and nothing anyone says matters. In my case, I eagerly await people telling me that I'm mad because he's dealt with similar subject matter to me, and that I disliked his film because I'm "jealous." Only, I already made my film. It's out there. I have nothing to be jealous of. My film exists, and I worked with John Carpenter and Greg Nicotero and Ron Perlman on it. What do I have to be angry about?

Oh… that's right. I'm angry that I sat through a movie that genuinely felt unfinished and undercooked, and that the performance art afterwards was the punchline to a long sustained lie. If Kevin Smith wanted to announce his own distribution company tonight, that's cool. I can respect the desire to control the fate of your own movie, and I think there's something wonderful about the rise of smaller distributors that do things differently. When "Four Lions" did not sell at Sundance last year, and Tim League stepped up to create Drafthouse Films and then tour with the film to create awareness for it, I was happy to support that because it is a great way to handle difficult material. I wish Kevin Smith had simply been honest enough to say to everyone ahead of time, "I'll announce my plan for distribution after the screening." That one small difference would have been honest, and the announcement tonight could have been identical.

Instead, we were treated to him once again explaining his hero worship of Wayne Gretzky, and then some theater in which his producer Jonathan Gordon pretended to open the bidding, then selling the film to Smith for $20.

Really? You know, Smith, for all of your blather over the last half-year about how the press lies or distorts or misrepresents, your behavior tonight was a waste of my time professionally, and it was a public lie in service of your hype and your ego. Congratulations. You are four-walling your movie. I wish you well with it, and I look forward to offering you the freedom from all further coverage that you so vocally desire.

If you're not familiar with the term "four-walling," it essentially means paying for a theater rental, then screening the film and keeping whatever admission you charge for yourself. That's it. That's his 21st century "bold new business model." He'll charge $60 or so per ticket for a venue like Radio City Music Hall, and he'll show it one screen at a time, touring with it.

Again, if that was the plan, and it's obviously been in place for a while since he's got his venues booked for March and the tickets are going on sale this coming Friday, then why not simply say, "I'm trying something new, and I can't wait to explain it to you once you've seen the movie"? The reason is obvious… Smith is more focused on the hype and the hoopla than he is on the movie, and it seems to me that the announcement that "Hit Somebody," his 11th movie, will be his final film is welcome news. If Smith has this much contempt for the audience and for the larger film community at this point, then that's fine… he probably should quit making movies.

As for me? Well, I can tell you that Michael Parks is very good at doing what Kevin Smith has asked him to do. I can't really say I liked the work, because I think it's one note played for the full hour and a half, but I think Parks did exactly what Smith asked him to do. I think Smith should probably stop patting himself on the back over hiring Parks, though, because anyone who knows Parks and his work has been aware for a while that he's a great, versatile, gifted character actor. I think Quentin Tarantino should get more credit for his use of Parks than Smith does. Hell, the guy plays two totally different roles in "Kill Bill, Vol. 2," and most people never even realize they're seeing one actor play both parts. Parks has been great before, and he'll be great again. But the character he plays here is the failure, not the actor.

And I can also tell you that there's one moment late in the film where it seemed for a moment that Smith was about to do something so bold, so crazy, that it almost swayed my opinion of the film. I sat up, excited by the idea that Smith might be trying something that was genuinely shocking or transgressive, something that would force you to debate the ideas in the film in a whole new context.

So of course he undercuts it with a cheap punchline and chickens out completely, ending the film with some more post-Gitmo anti-federal government snark.

I truly believe "Red State" the movie is a failure on almost every level.

And on a totally separate note, I feel like tonight's event was equally worthless. We were basically lured into that theater so that Kevin Smith could read us a press release instead of doing what he claimed he would do. And, no, I didn't have a particular investment in him doing the auction, but I also wasn't the one who said there would be an auction in the first place.

Thematically confused, haphazardly produced, and unlikable to the extreme. I'll leave it up to you to decide if I'm describing the film or the filmmaker at this point.

Drew, I was trying for irony, guess I wasn't clear enough. The bad spelling and random capitalization were a part of the (not very funny, apparently) joke. Kevin Smith is a piss poor filmmaker that figured out a way to merchandize the dream of being a successful filmmaker. He sells this dream to wannabes across the country in the form of action figures, comics and other worthless merchandise. I only pray he sticks to his promise of retirement.

As Kevin Smith has spent the best part of a decade laying into Tim Burton - someone I'm quite a big fan of, despite his faults - and getting laughs at his expense, I must say I'm rather relieved that Smith is on the receiving end of so much bile now. Obviously, being so vocally critical of critics isn't conducive to getting nice reviews, so I'd imagine he knew exactly what he was doing here and what the reaction would be.

Drew is clearly a well read guy who picks up on jokes, hints and social cues of every variety. He might only have a 5.8/10 imdb score but I give him a 10/10 reviewing score. ALL SHE WANTED WAS A WAY OUT BUT SOMETIMES THE EASIEST WAY IS HELL. Didn't you see the filters in the Pro Life trailer? This guy's swinging a heavy-ass wiener and it'd EDGY + TRANSGRESSIVE 2.

I have to see your response seems to prove his point about the press, the film may be a mess, but the fact you were insulted by his ideals would never let you like the film anyway. Plus the guy is going to make a studio that self makes and self distribute its films, which he plans to do after hit somebody. It seems your anger is coming from the fact that hes telling the system to go fuck itself.

Wrong. I've been fair to Smith's movies his whole career, and the reviews are out there to prove it. And I'm not insulted by his ideals. Some of the films I've supported here at the fest this year are genuine indies, full of people you've never seen or heard of. I love filmmakers who do it themselves, and I've even held Smith's mobilization of his fanbase up as a standard over the last year.

How exactly do you arrive at the conclusion that a reviewer with no benefit to Smith using the usual studio system could influence a review or cause bitterness? ie. Why would Drew give a shit? Smith's movies are total turds and his fanboy cult can fuck right off.

Drew, is this your fate? Posting a review stating your opinion... which is what people come here for... and then have to deal with the ensuing bile? I once posted a review when Matrix Reloaded came out saying I thought it was shit, and got hate mail! And I'm NOBODY!! Looking back... who was right? Fuck fanboys.

So... Not worth the $60 ticket price for the roadshow screenings?And why all the bashing on Drew? I don't always agree with his reviews, but I always find them well-written, thoughtful, and knowledgeable.

Because the View Askew fans are a little nuts and will defend Smith no matter what. For the record, I was a Smith fan until I graduated from high school and realized dick and fart jokes aren't that funny.

People like you have always railed against smith because of his unique style of writing and the way he sees the world, but much like the hate mongers Smith takes aim at in this movie, you seem to have a problem accepting that different does not mean bad

If you follow Drew on other social media sites, you would have known that he went into this movie very open minded. He was defending Smith against other critics who were bashing Smith before seeing the film.

To me, this whole farce souinds like Smith is an egotistical asshole and like Mr. McWeeny, I am done with Smith the filmmaker

You've really never read a word I've written. Feel free to do the legwork and realize how wrong you are. I've liked and disliked films of his in the past, and for the last year, I've spoken in print and on my podcast several times about how smart he is in building his fanbase.

Doesn't change the fact that the film is a mess. What I wrote was about last night, and last night alone.

I never understood the general approval of Kevin Smith other than some need my peers had (back in the 90s) to embrace a director who talked like them (or who they wanted to talk like). I genuinely wanted to like Chasing Amy, but didn't. And the chances I gave to a few other of his films met the same result. Yet I'm always faced with these passionate views in favor of his work. I just don't understand it. He's not a good writer. His dialogue is phony. He's a good public speaker, I admit that. He should just do that.

I love Kevin Smith movies and find his dialog smart and funny, that being said I respect your opinion because you stated that you were open when first viewing Smith's movies and just dint like them, you weren't mean about it and you dint attack anyone for disagreeing with you, maybe you should have written the review instead.

This is one of the most childish and vindictive pieces of "journalism" that I have ever read. Pathetic, and a failure on every level. What kind of critic tries to pimp his own work while trashing someone else? That's some next-level trolling right there.

Agree with you there, but that doesn't mean Drew doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to films. Let's face it, Kevin Smith doesn't have a shit filter. At all. If he recommended a movie for me to watch, it could go either way. He doesn't believe anyone should talk about anyone else's work ever unless they have something nice to say. He'd say, "Why say something is bad? It's a waste of energy, man." And maybe he's right, but... opinions are opinions.

Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Look, I like Kevin Smith, and I'm not trying to come to his rescue in any sort. As to what you said about filter, oh man, I totally agree. When he mentioned that he cried during 17 Again, that point was really driven home. I think Kevin Smith is just a guy with a huge heart, and who is kind of made up of two thoughts of film. While he admits to crying during films that my mother would go see, and openly defends the work of Tyler Perry, he is also able to appreciate truly good cinema. I think he just doesn't understand why people aren't able to look through both lenses like he does, and people aren't able to just let go of wanting every film to be Citizen Kane. Sometimes entertainment is just that; entertainment.

Yes exactly! And by "opinions are opinions" I meant that ones that could be considered negative (criticisms), are equally as valid as positive ones (praise). Well, assuming there isn't a bias. I'm a big Smith fan, but his antics lately have been pretty wacky. I want Drew to be wrong here, but I suppose we'll see.

Sounds profoundly awful, worsened by the deceptive and equally ugly charade around it. Why doesn't someone have the compassion to sit down with Mr. Smith and tell him what these antics really look like? Don't make this the last thing you write about Smith - lack of honest criticism isn't going to do him (and the people who stray into the path of his filmmaking) any good at all.

Wow... Well from what i read i'm very clear that your NOT jealous of Smith. Or at least you don't think you are. You come off like someone that tried to make "Your Movie" and it didn't work so now no one can even attempt to try to do it (and FUCK anyone that tried to!). I imagine that that's not true but that's how your piece comes across. You may want to take a look at your writing before you hit that "submit" button. I haven't seen the flick yet so i can't throw my 2 cents in on how the movie plays. But I have never seen a movie that inspired this kind of Knee-jerk dismissal (except for Glitter!). If you don't like the movie that's fair, i can respect that. But did the movie suck so bad that you had to deconstruct every thing about it? At least show some respect for a guy that went OUTSIDE of the system and got this very respected cast of players together around an idea. No one was forced to be there, these kinds of actors don't sign on to shitty scripts (especially for the money this was going to pay them i.e.NOTHING) The film may not work out but at least show some respect for them TRYING to do something. If i can get anything across to you in my response here, it's RELAX dude. This is just a movie.

Seriously? From what I gathered from the author using his example of a film was that he knew you VIEWASKEW fanboys would say "YOU CANT DO BETTER" and he's saying, yes, I can, and using his film as an example.

Also, Roger Ebert has ripped apart films much worse than Drew did here. You obviously just don't read reviews, at all.

Amen Brother lol, what a hate filled review just say your "Masters" film was better then smiths ha haOn a side note I hated "Cop out" but loved "Zack and Mary" Smith is a film maker who is borderline direct to dvd kind of worker with that being said the guy is at great at marketing himself... I dont envy the long nights of traveling and talking but thats what a 9 to 5 job requires fudge i will buy a ticket because the man despite what most critics do or say sits in front a live audience that takes some balls and skills more then wailing online lol like my dumbasscheers

As a fan of Smith i'm still interested in seeing Red State. While I admit neither Zack and Miri or Cop Out were as good as the films of his heyday, I still believe there's some spark in him. As for the "Smodcult", i don't think there's any problem with the fact that Smith has chosen to play to his audience. Sure from a critic's point of view it might seem like self indulgence, but in my opinion it's more of a sign of Smith truly embracing his status as a niche entertainer.

I think the problem is precisely that he won't embrace his status as a niche entertainer. And while there is something to be said for being ambitious; there is also something to be said about knowing your limits and not acting like a fool. I can guarantee you that his attitude has alienated many former long-time fans. And he is burning bridges like there's no tomorrow. But I'm sure he will say it's someone else's fault like he always does, instead of accepting that he fucked up.

I think Kevin Smith has gone a long way as being embraced as the cult director of the early 90s generation, but has never really provided the true quality to back it up. Kevin Smith is not a great filmmaker, Kevin Smith is a symbol. For geek culture. For indie culture. For being part of Hollywood, but for the most part, not being part of Hollywood in style. But that's all he is: a symbol. Everything from View Askew, to Jay & Silent Bob, to everything SMOD related, is all a manufacturing of Kevin Smith to ride off this cult popularity and following he somehow found himself in, and he has ridden it for all its worth. Have his movies been considered all time classic by anybody other than his diehards? No. Has any of his films been a box-office success? No.

Thus, Kevin Smith has come to realize this, the fact that he technically doesn't need anybody but his fans to support him anyways, so therefore can live in this hole of mediocrity that he's carried with him throughout his entire career. Why get better, when you have a legion of fans ready to follow you to the end, even if you put out crap? Heck, you can acknowledge it as crap later, and your fans will love you for it.

Kevin Smith: the man, the legend, the symbol, the mediocre filmmaker riding a wave of 90s cult popularity, like I"m sure we all would if we were also business-savvy mediocre filmmakers.

I write as a Smodcast listener and fan. I write as a Kevin Smith fan since 1998, and as someone who calls Smith an inspiration. I write as a full fledged member of his cult-fanbase. I admit that. Saying all that, I really think it's sad what's happen to him in the last few years. I remember a Kevin Smith who had many films he wanted to do, a filmmaker who was happy and excited to move forward. It seemed things went to shit when Zack and Miri did poorly. Since then he's become a Pot Head (as he's stated many times in his podcast) and started to get insanely defensive. He's started over hyping his films (Example: saying how funny Adam Brody and Kevin Pollack were going to be in Cop Out, but in watching that miss fire, were the duo were insanely unmemorable) and now the hyping of the cast performances in the Red State Podcast. Now apparently, he's done, and I agree with you, if he has this much contempt for the business, then he should stop. I remember clearly that you were very supportive of him on everything. You didn't shit on him when the Cop Out trailers came out,and waited to see the film to fully judge (and rightly, you didn't like AFTER you saw the film...and that's fine, because Cop Out WAS bad). You were open minded,and even excite, for Red State. Now, your done with him, and you have every right to be done with him. I still want to see the film myself, but thankfully, I will go in with out the expectations that Smith himself brought. It's a shame really, I was really hoping that tonight would be the night that would revitalize him, and that would deliver a film that would please both his fans and critics. Sadly, it seems like he made more enemies.

P.S. Just to clarify, being a pot head is not bad, but it was a major change in his lifestyle that I wanted to address.

I can't read any more mindless drivel on these comments...but, I'm glad to support Justin: a well thought out (and spelled) comment!

The problem with unloading on Kevin Smith (who was probably never as talented as the hype would make you believe but who has, nonetheless, fallen far from his former status) on the internet is that he and his cult RULE the internet! They're all over the net...so, Drew KNEW this crap would come at him. So, I applaud him for even trying to make his voice heard.

Justin, Smith does that for every single one of his movies. Go back to when Jersey Girl was being made: he had nothing but praise for Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. And as soon as the movie flopped, he did a 180 and blamed the failure on the Bennifer backlash - which, admittedly was a factor but he was certainly quick to turn on his good friend Ben Affleck, wasn't he? He does it every single time: for Zack and Miri, he blamed marketing; for Cop-Out he seems to have targeted Bruce Willis... it is never his fault; he is always a victim. And that is bullshit. What's the common denominator in all these movies? Kevin Smith. But God forbid he be honest and admit he had something to do with these movies not performing as well as he had hoped.

Not arguing with you, just curious about the comment in regards to the film being a "waste of [your] time professionally." I don't see how that is. One, you'll surely get plenty of hits of this, and you were paid to cover it, so it fulfilled whatever it needed to for you. It's not like you had absolutely nothing to write about. How many films do you talk about for YEARS online and when they come out and tank and the discussion is over, can be labelled a similar waste of your professional time? Was Tron? I'm just looking for clarification on what merits your professional time.

I miss Kevin Smith pre-Zack and Miri. Once that film didn't live up to his expectations financially, he just seemed to emotionally implode. He seems to have become defensive, bitter, and dismissive. He has insulated himself to a point that I think is self-destructive. Depite his claims to the contrary, I think he is angry over his inability to have cross-over success. And to charge your fans $60 to see your movie? I know he has to make money back on the production, but that seems ridiculous. Maybe he will succeed.

Have to agree...the only thing wrong with his brand lately is himself. The passion of his fans has always been a little hard to understand for me but his movies have been good to bland to bad so that's fine and he should continue making movies. Although its still admirable how he got his movies made. But he really needs to get out of his own way and just make the films. I realize his success is partly built around his personality and his conversation with fans but right now he's not helping himself.

Wow, I get the feeling that most of these posts are from the same IP address.

I was a big Smith supporter and enjoyed the smodcasts for a while, but the whole enterprise has gotten too big. I liked the idea of the Q&As at first, but now it's just ridiculous. Hey, if hundreds of people will pay $50 to hear you chat for a few hours, all the power to you. But the post-Cop Out Smith has been kinda heartbreaking. It's a shame Red State isn't the game changer he was promising, and I sure won't be paying $60 to see the movie with a Q&A, but lots of others will. But I can't imagine any other filmmakers will be following suit. Smith is an aberration in the industry. It was a fun ride while it lasted, but I'm getting out now.

"We've heard a few sight-unseen pre-emptive bids. THIS MOVIE HAS NOT ALREADY BEEN SOLD. After the screening, THEN we'll pick the distributor."

I don't see how this is a lie. Perhaps they did get a few sight -unseen pre-emptive bids. The movie WASN'T sold. And after the screening they DID pick a distributor- HIM. All statements were true. YOU inferred what you wanted. What he said didn't match up with what was in your mind and you think somehow he's pulling a fast one? I don't think so.

It saddens me how (few, if no) internet bloggers understand what Smith was doing. He did do a little bait and switch with your EXPECTATIONS (but still not a lie based on what he said) but he wanted to get his point across. The system is FUCKED. Don't think so? Look at all the films from 2010 and all the money that went into making them. Was all that REALLY worth it? When a James L Brooks rom-com costs $120 million- the system is fucked.

This was Smith's Fuck You to all that. He's showing that you don't need a shit ton of money or spend five times the budget of a film on P&A. He's showing that he doesn't need studios or (God forbid) the press (be it print, online or otherwise). He doesn't need YOU and you're pissed. Understandable- we all want to feel needed.

No, what he's doing is not revolutionary but the fact that it's being done- the fact that someone who can stand up and be heard is stepping up in front of executives and saying, "You're broken. Maybe we should try something else for a change," is a great thing. The internet especially should be behind the ideals Smith is spouting off. Films that are made as art- not, "Let's see how much scratch we can earn in three days with our craptastic, rushed, post-3D mess of a film." It's only though change that we can learn. But when that change doesn't include you- it hurts.

Yeah, except for the fact that he had ALREADY BOOKED A BUNCH OF SCREENINGS AND HAD A RELEASE DATE LINED UP.

I'm sure he did all that on stage right after the fake auction?

The tweet was an ABSOLUTE lie.

"He's showing that you don't need a shit ton of money or spend five times the budget of a film on P&A. He's showing that he doesn't need studios or (God forbid) the press (be it print, online or otherwise)."

He hasn't shown that yet. From my math he's "made" $20 on it so far. There's NO evidence yet that he'll make ANY money on it.

You sir have a very well written comment and surprisingly the angry critic has yet to respond. All the anger and bile directed at Smith from people like Drew here and some of his fanboys in the comment section is exactly what Silent Bob wanted. As much as you all want to talk shit about him, his movies, and his motivations you are still talking about him in general. The joke is on you fools. I for one will go pay my money in October for a regular priced movie ticket know that is goes to the filmaker and not some greedy studio. After I come out of that movie I will make my judgement on whether it was worth my dollars but until then I'm not taking the word of an angry little man with an angry little job.

Stachey: The revolutionary part is that he will be using brand and fanbase to distribute other people's films, thus cutting out the absurd costs of advertising. Regardless of how the movie is, this is pretty cool for aspiring filmmakers. Drew must have drooled on his notes while he was foaming at the mouth.